Vintage Gemstone RED RUBELLITE TOURMALINE 6.90 cts fg51

Details

Vintage red tourmaline faceted rubellite gemstone, cut in the U.S.A. in 1982 from rough Joel acquired in Madagascar, en route home from a trip to Tanzania. It is "classic" rubellite from Madagascar (the Malagasay Republic), dark red, weighing 6.90 carats and with dimensions 14.3 x 10.6 x 7.4 mm.

Tourmaline is a family name, consisting of more than a dozen minerals of widely varying composition. Several of these occur in gem quality, and the complex chemistry of the material results in an enormous range of colors with perhaps more than 100 distinct hues on record. Of these, green is the best known and most popular. Blue tourmaline is called indicolite, and the red variety is called rubellite. The member of the tourmaline family that is most often seen in the gemstone world is a species called elbaite. Chemical impurities are the cause of its coloration, since pure elbaite is colorless (achroite). Stresses during growth cause red tourmalines almost always to be heavily flawed. Higher concentrations of chemical impurities result in darker colors, but also more imperfections, so a dark, clean red tourmaline is a great rarity.

This lovely gem is very clean considering the richness of its coloration, and has an intense red hue, very slightly purplish in daylight. The stone would make a spectacular and unique focal pendant. Malagasay rubellite is extremely hard to find in the current marketplace, especially material of this fine red color.

The price is for this one faceted gemstone; the shipping cost includes insurance within the U.S. and it will be sent via registered mail. Shipping outside the U.S. will be via USPS priority mail, insured.

One of the photographs shows several of the books Joel has written. The Color Encyclopedia of Gemstones has for more than 30 years been the world's most authoritative source of information on (and pictures of) gemstones, including many of the rare gems, such as andalusite. (books not included in purchase!)

Policies

We try to ship (First class) within 72 hours of receiving payment. Insurance will add a bit more depending on the value of your purchase.Our products ship first class mail and Priority Mail in the USA and First Class international.
If the customer wishes to have tracking and insurance for international orders,the package must be shipped either Express or Priority mail. Please contact us for such estimated shipping costs.
We cannot be responsible for shipments lost in transit unless insured by the customer.

**We automatically insure DOMESTIC packages if they're $100 or more! All such packages have a tracking number and normally ship USPS First Class *** Priority mail is $7.50 FOR UP TO 1 lb. of merchandise.
For international shipping of higher value items, please contact us for a shipping quotation.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: POSTAGE RATES HAVE RISEN DRAMATICALLY IN 2016
ORDERS INSIDE USA: A charge of $3.60 covers any first class shipment up to 8 ounces. Our beads vary so much in weight that it is impossible for us to apply a single add-on charge for multiple product orders. We will continue to refund to customers any amount that greatly exceeds our actual cost of shipping and handling.
ORDERS OUTSIDE USA: International First Class rates are now crazy: $13.50 for any package weighing from 1-8 ounces. Even an order for 2-3 small bead items may cost $13.50 or more, depending on the type of material (stone versus resin, for example). Please bear with us for a few weeks while we change our listings to account for the new rates. We apologize in advance if we have to adjust the postage cost of an order that has been placed. We will understand if an order is rescinded when the postage cost is too high relative to the product value.

All international orders have contents described as "loose beads" and are flagged as "commercial samples" or " gift" if you prefer to make your life easier when receiving your beads. If you'd like us to mark your order as " gift" instead please let us know!

All our beads are inspected one by one before being shipped. They are individually wrapped to protect them and then put in little plastic ziploc bags.

All vintage beaded jewelry is either shipped in a little gift box tied with a ribbon or in a vintage Chinese embroidered silk purse.

If you ever have a problem with a damaged bead or jewelry, don't hesitate to contact us. We are only human, and with so many orders going out on a daily basis, there is always room for error. We will replace your order (assuming we have more in stock), issue you a store credit, or give you a full refund if the item is returned in the same condition as it was shipped within 7 days of receiving your order if you are not fully satisfied. You must notify us as soon as you receive your order if there is a problem.
We want you to be 100% thrilled with your purchases!

We value each and every customer and are delighted that you have chosen to shop in our store! Customer relations are extremely important to us and we pride ourselves on the authenticity of what we sell, how we package it, and being accessible to all of you should a question or a problem ever arise.